Abstract

This dissertation examined the relationship between meaningful employment and self-esteem in male veterans. Meaningful employment is an important element of reintegration, the process all veterans go through to transition from active duty military service back into society. Reintegration involves three major areas: physical and mental health, employment, and family and friend relationships. A sample of 30 male veterans were interviewed. After the interviews, two instruments were used to further examine the variables (meaningful employment and self-esteem). The instruments were administered to measure the individual's perception regarding meaningful employment and level of self-esteem. The interviews were the primary focus, with the instruments providing additional evidence to support the information gathered in the interviews. This mixed-methods study involved analyzing the interviews for consistent themes related to answering the research questions and, through systematic coding, identifying and categorizing the connectivity of concepts and trends. The two instruments were analyzed using cross-tabulations to triangulate information gathered in the interviews. A significant correlation was found between meaningful employment and self-esteem in male veterans. The study also identifies traits male veterans consider necessary for employment to be meaningful. Future studies should examine the relationship between meaningful employment and veteran suicides.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2018

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Dziegielewski, Sophia

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Health and Public Affairs

Degree Program

Public Affairs; Social Work

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0007010

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0007010

Language

English

Release Date

May 2018

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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